Revenge
by xRebecca
Summary: The team's lives are put in danger as a notorious gang leader takes his revenge. SMacked and DL
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _Unfortunately, I don't own CSI: New York or any of its characters :( _

Summary: _The team's lives are put in danger as a notorious gang leader takes his revenge. _

Author's Note: _New story! Doing my exams atm, so sorry if I don't update as fast as I did with my other story. _:| 

* * *

"We got you. And all your little buddies." Flack passed the folder across the cold metal table.

Flack had been interrogating notorious gang leader Johnny Romano for 10 minutes. He wasn't giving anything up, even with the mountain of evidence against members of his gang and himself.

"We didn't do nothin'. Your bluffin', you ain't got shit against us!" He practically spat the last few syllables.

Flack opened the folder, "See these? This is your fingerprint Johnny, and this," he pointed to the photo of a custom made hand gun, "is your gun, registered in your name." Johnny glared at Mac who was sat in the corner of the room. Flack noticed his eyes wander away from the photographs, "Hey! This blue mark here on the trigger is a finger print our CSIs found. Guess what, it's yours!" Flack frowned as he continued. "You think you and your buddies can murder four innocent people for fun? Let's see what you guys do for fun in _Rikers_. We're done here. Officer Moore, escort Mr. Romano out please."

Johnny looked away as the officer cuffed him, his face slowly turning red with anger. He turned to Mac, "You'll regret this. You. Your team. Your whole office. You'll see."

Mac stood from his place in the corner while Flack gathered the photographs and handed him the folder. "Think Sheldon's finished interviewing the other two?"

Mac looked out the small window on the wooden door, "Looks like they're just leaving now."

Flack glanced in the same direction to see two heavily built thugs thrashing against the officers as they were escorted from the building.

Flack laughed as Mac shook his head and left the room, "Case closed."

* * *

**3 Days Later**

Lindsay and Stella were debating where to go for lunch as they walked along the hallway, "I'm thinking Italian?" Stella shook her head causing her curls to bounce on her shoulders, "Nah, Mac and I went out for Italian last night, what about…Chinese?"

Lindsay rubbed her growling stomach, "Sounds good." The women turned the corner striding passed the break room to go to their office. Stella laughed inwardly at Mac who was struggling with one of the vending machines.

The small office was shared by Stella, Lindsay and Danny. The large desks were all facing in towards each other with papers stacked up on all three. The office was simplistic with only two bookcases, a small fridge and several photographs gracing the walls.

Lindsay stopped in the opening of the office as Stella took a seat at her desk, "Can you hear that?"

Stella stopped shuffling papers to listen for any noise, "No?"

Lindsay paused, and then thought of a better topic for discussion, "So, how are things between you and Mac?"

Stella blushed, "We're good, I think. Why? Has he said something? What did he say?"

Lindsay chuckled at her friends panic. "Calm down Stella, breathe. I was just asking. You guys have been dating for what…four months? You'll still be in that hot, can't-keep-your-hands-off-each-other phase."

Stella shrugged her shoulders, "I guess?"

"You gue…" Lindsay's reply was cut off by a large explosion coming for the centre of the lab, then another from the inside of Mac's office. The third explosion came from underneath Danny's desk throwing Lindsay through the large glass window surrounding the office. Glass embedded itself in her lower back as she forcefully hit the ground. Stella was flung from her chair onto the bookcase behind her causing it to fall on her still form.

* * *

Flack and Danny stood inside the elevator arguing over which celebrity had the best legs. "Have you even seen Jennifer Aniston, man?" Danny was becoming more frustrated with Flack as he stuck to his original answer, "I have, but I have also had the privilege of laying eyes upon Scarlett freakin' Johansson!"

Danny caved, "You have a point."

As they reached the 5th floor the elevator shook and the lights inside went off.

Flack's training instantly kicked in, "What was that? Is the emergency phone working?"

Danny dashed all of their hopes as he picked up the bright red phone, "I got nothin'. I ain't got signal either. You?"

Flack lifted up his cell, "Nada. What the hell is goin' on out there?"

Flack and Danny sat down in the elevator completely unaware of the chaos that had now engulfed the lab.

* * *

_Don't know how many chapter I'll get out of this, but I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: _Unfortunately, I don't own CSI: New York or any of its characters :( _

Summary: _The team's lives are put in danger as a notorious gang leader takes his revenge. _

Author's Note: _Doing my exams atm, so sorry if I don't update as fast as I did with my other story. _:| _(2 exams down, 3 to go.)_

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* * *

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"Damn machine." Mac muttered as he hit the side of the vending machine for what felt like the hundredth time, "Stupid thing works for _everyone_ else but me." Giving in, he picked up his discarded files and made for his office candy-less and down 70 cents. Opening the door, he threw the files onto the desk. He turned and looked towards Stella's shared office as he moved around the desk to his chair.

He sat and scooted towards the desk.

"Oww", he yelped as his knees came into contact with something hard under the desk. He bent to look under it and stopped dead as a loud screeching noise came from the lab. He instantly pushed back from the desk just as the bomb underneath his went off too. From his position on the ground he could see Lindsay being thrown through the glass windows surrounding the shared office. He could only think of one thing as he drifted into the beckoning darkness._ Stella._

_

* * *

_

"I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with…L." Flack struggled to come up with new things to spot. It was hard to see in the in the glare of the red emergency light.

"Lights." Danny groaned, it was the third time he'd said it in the hour they had been sat there.

Flack could tell he was worried about Lindsay, "What floor are we on?"

"5th I think. We're thirty floors from the lab, but we're not too far from the ground. I bet if we forced the doors open, we could get down the shaft. " Danny looked around for something they could use.

Flack joined in, "If we're on a floor we could try and get onto that…maybe."

Suddenly, the elevator swayed and the sounds of cables stretching could be heard. Small bits of concrete began to hit off of the top of the small space. Panic was beginning to set in.

"We have to get out of this thing, right now." Danny frantically searched the emergency box for a crow bar or a metal rod.

Flack noticed the railing inside the elevator "Could this work? If we can get it off the wall I think this could work."

Danny nodded at him as they both gripped the railing, "On three. One, two, THREE!"

The force of the two men put together was enough as the railing was easily pulled from the wall causing the elevator to shake even more.

"Okay, get in it in the gap then you push, I'll pull." They followed through with Flack's plan.

The doors opened to show the elevator had stopped just below the 6th floor. Both men climbed onto the 6th floor and tried to find any information why the elevator had jammed. They were greeted with an eerie silence and empty halls. Danny swore he had seen tumbleweed roll by. They were both blissfully unaware of the pandemonium that had absorbed the 35th floor.

* * *

"Lindsay…Lindsay!"

Lindsay opened her eyes slowly. The pounding in her head was excruciating. She looked up to find a bruised and bloody Adam stood over her. "What happened, I can't…I don't. Oh my god, Stella! The Lab!"

She began to hyperventilate. The lab was in chaos. Everyone was shouting and running for the stairs. Adam tried to make sense of the few words she had muttered. Adam pulled Lindsay up to stand and made sure she wasn't seriously injured. Her fringe was matted to her forehead with blood from the gash that stretched from her hairline to just above her eye. The back of her t-shirt was ripped from the smashed glass she had flown through and was lying on. Adam was positive her back would be littered in small cuts.

She let out a cry of pain as he touched the skin around the piece of glass that was embedded in her shoulder.

"What is it? Get it out, please, Adam." She gripped the wall as he removed the piece of glass. It wasn't too big, he noted.

"Shit, where's Stella? Wasn't she with you?" Adam's head whipped around to look inside the office. He noticed a white hand coming from underneath the book case.

Lindsay was ahead of him as she was already trying to push the bookcase up, "Help me, Adam!"

As he stepped up to the shelve he saw Stella lying on her stomach under various books and picture frames through the gaps. She wasn't her normal olive colour.

They lifted it and Adam had to resist flipping her over onto her back, as not to hurt her, while Lindsay checked her vitals. "She's got a pulse. It's weak, but it's there," she bent her head down to a weird angle to put her ear to Stella's mouth, "She's breathing too."

Adam let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding. He shook her gently, she didn't look good. Her left arm was definitely broken as it was bent at a strange angle. Lindsay lifted her shirt to find deep purple patches of blood spread across her sides; the rest of her back and shoulder blades was covered with one giant bruise which stood out horribly against Stella's now white skin.

"Stella. Stella, can you hear me? C'mon Stella." Adam was becoming more worried as more time passed by. Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief as Stella began to groggily open her eyes. Her right hand immediately flew for her head as she groaned. She attempted to move her left arm, which in Adam's opinion was the wrong move. She emitted a long wail of pain as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Stella, your arm is broken, don't move it, okay?" She nodded.

They sat her up against the wall next to the bookcase. Lindsay took off her cardigan and tied it round Stella's arm as a make shift sling. Adam gave Lindsay a worried look as she got a better look at the blood underneath Stella's shirt. He pulled Lindsay aside and whispered, "Its probably broken ribs that have punctured something. The bleedings internal, I don't know how we're gonna carry her down 35 flights of stairs without hurting her even more."

Lindsay looked over at Stella who drifting in and out of consciousness propped up against the wall. The place was a mess. There was nothing left of the desks in the centre of the room, the glass panes surrounding the room no longer existed.

"Lindsay! Adam! Thanks god!" Sheldon was running up towards the pair. He was clutching his side, his light green t-shirt rapidly becoming a slick red.

"There was two of 'em. Me and Sid were pulling trace of a body when they went off. How many were there up here?" He looked expectantly at the pair, "What?"

Lindsay was confused, "There was bombs everywhere?"

"Yeah, all over the lab and the morgue. The whole buildings being evacuated. Sid's already outside waiting on us." Sheldon then noticed Stella, his medical training setting in, "Oh god, she needs help. Right now!" he yelled rushing towards her forgetting about his own wound.

Adam and Lindsay whipped their heads round to focus on Stella who had fallen from her place against the wall and was lying awkwardly against the broken bookcase, blood dripping from her nose and onto a photo of the team at Christmas.

Lindsay sucked in a laboured breath, "Oh no…"

* * *

_Chapter 2, Done _:) _Still got 3 exams to go, the hard ones, so sorry, if I don't post my next chapter immediately. _


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: _Unfortunately, I don't own CSI: New York or any of its characters :( _

Summary: _The team's lives are put in danger as a notorious gang leader takes his revenge. _

Author's Note: _Doing my exams atm, so sorry if I don't update as fast as I did with my other story. _:| _(2 exams down, 3 to go.)_

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* * *

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"I'm assuming that because she's had a nose bleed, she might have a traumatic brain injury." Stella was lying on the metal trolley Lindsay had found in the remnants of the lab. Sheldon was checking her pupils, "They aren't dilated, so it's not as severe as it could have been, it is still pretty bad though."

They had argued over how to get Stella down the stairs earlier. Carrying her was out of the picture. Then Lindsay found the trolley; they were good to go.

"Alright. Adam you go to the back, and I'll pull at the front." Sheldon had taken charge from the beginning. Adam and Lindsay had let him, willingly, because of Stella's fragile frame; they didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was.

"I'm on it." Lindsay noticed that Adam was physically shaken by the whole ordeal. Seeing his friend like that wasn't helping. As they set off towards the stairs, Mac's office caught her eye. She stopped in front of it as the others carried on.

The office was a wreck. The ceiling had collapsed into the room. His desk was flipped over and was in three pieces, the shelves had also fallen from the walls. The windows were smashed and the wind was slowly creeping in chilling Lindsay to the bone. She didn't feel right. Someone was behind the incinerated desk

"…He…Help…" the person was overwhelmed by a fit of coughing.

She was horrified when she discovered who the voice belonged to.

"Mac! I didn't know you were in here!" She gasped when she finally what state he was in. His bottom half was crushed by the pieces of concrete that had fallen. The right side of his face was badly burned along with both of his forearms. He had protected himself from the blast.

"My legs…I can't, I can't…feel them." Lindsay could tell by the scratchiness of his voice that he had inhaled some of the dust that had settled. She looked around wildly for someone to help; she knew Mac didn't have a lot of time left if he stayed under the pile of rubble.

If someone was near she knew they would hear her, "HELP! SOMEONE!" She ran towards Mac and began lifting the larger pieces of ceiling. He was fading, fast. She noticed something in the corner of the room.

_Mac's Phone!_

She crawled towards it, picked it up and dialled the only number she knew off by heart.

* * *

The building was rapidly becoming surrounded by ambulances and fire engines. The place was in hysteria. Danny and Flack were looking for their team when they noticed Sid sat in an ambulance near the entrance to the building, the wound on his head being cleaned and bandaged.

"Sid! What the hell happened here?" Flack couldn't contain his worry any longer.

Sid looked up relieved to see someone he knew, "There were bombs everywhere. Six in total…I think. Three in the lab, um…" he paused to try and remember what had happened, "…two in the morgue and one in the elevator shaft on the left wing."

Danny's face paled, "Shit, Linds was working today." He turned around and tried to keep his emotions in check.

Sid suddenly became confused by the men's clean clothing, "Where were you, were you in the building?"

Flack glanced down at himself, "We were in one of the elevators, on the 6th floor. It stopped and we were stuck in there…"

They were interrupted by the shrill ringing of Danny's phone. "Well, I guess I've got signal now, eh?"

Flack was about to respond before Danny's head shot up, "It's Linds!" He answered it, "Baby, are you alright? Where are you?..."

Flack could hear Lindsay shout over the phone from his place next to Sid, "Its Mac…He's…stuck…I need help!"

Danny and Flack both set off running into the building, much to the distaste of the Firemen, "Hey! It's not safe in there, you can't go in!" He knew he didn't stand a chance as both men darted for the stairs.

* * *

"Lift on three, okay? Three!"

Sheldon and Adam had made it to the 16th floor by the time Danny and Flack met them. Danny was unfazed by the sight of a bloody Stella being carried on the trolley as he kept climbing the staircase. Flack on the other had come to a halt, "Shit, what the hell happened up there?" He whispered it, more for his own benefit.

Sweat was running down Sheldon's face, his wound was becoming a hindrance, "Don, help us. We lost Lindsay. I don't know where she went."

Adam shook his head, "She was right behind us, then…I dunno…" he then stopped realising Flack and Danny were trying to get back into the building, instead of trying to get out, "What are you guys doing?"

Flack turned his head to find Danny gone, "Its Mac…we don't know, he's stuck…somewhere."

"…Ma…aaac."

All three men turned to Stella who was once again clutching her head with her good arm. She wasn't yet fully conscious.

"We have to go, she needs medical attention, fast." Sheldon began moving the trolley again.

Flack turned his head to look up the stair well again before taking off his jacket and gripping the side of the trolley. Adam nodded, as the three men began carrying the trolley down the stairs.

* * *

Danny was running through the halls of the lab frantically, yelling, "Lindsay! LINDSAY! Where are you?"

Lindsay was inside what was left of Mac's office and was still struggling with the concrete, "Help! I'm in here!" She looked up to see Danny coming towards her. He embraced her before turning to see his boss drifting in and out of consciousness. He tried to keep his overwhelming nausea at bay; He had to be strong. For Lindsay, for Mac.

"We'll lift the bigger pieces together. Ready?"

Lindsay could only muster a nod.

* * *

Finally, when the building was classed stable, firemen and paramedics flooded in. Flack, Adam and Sheldon were near the 7th floor by the time the paramedics had taken over. They were left to walk down the stairs themselves and watch helplessly as Stella was loaded into an ambulance.

Mac was almost free when the firemen arrived to get rid of the rest of the concrete. Danny took a crying Lindsay into his arms and they walked towards the stairs, paramedics running past them with a gurney.

The team would never be the same again.

* * *

"_The New York City Crime Lab suffered great distress today as their building was placed under attack. We'll have more news updates coming your way after this."_

The TV in the hospital waiting room was small and placed high up in the right corner of the room. Sheldon walked towards the group after being seen by a doctor. The gash on his side had been taken care of and he had been given antibiotics to keep it from any infection. They had been waiting there for any news on Mac or Stella for over three hours.

Lindsay had fallen asleep in Danny's arms after having her head wound sewn up, along with the cuts on her back. Exhaustion was clearly setting in on the team.

"…_In other news, the convoy escorting convicted felon Johnny Romano has finally been found deserted at the side of the highway."_

Flack's head whipped around to the TV, he reached up to it and raised the volume.

"…_The convoy was found with two of the officers dead inside. The armed officer locked in with Romano has been transported to hospital after suffering a shotgun wound. It seems the truck didn't make it to Rikers. We'll have more on this story after this short break."_

Flack backed away from the TV, remembering Johnny threatening Mac…

"_You'll regret this. You. Your team. Your whole office. You'll see"_

He closed his eyes, "Shit."

* * *

_I wasn't studying today so I thought I'd write a little _:D _Hope you enjoyed it !_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: _Unfortunately, I don't own CSI: New York or any of its characters :( _

Summary: _The team's lives are put in danger as a notorious gang leader takes his revenge. _

Author's Note: _Doing my exams atm, (2 to go) so sorry if I don't update as fast as I did with my other story. _:| _I also want to say that I am not a doctor, but I did some research into this chapter._

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* * *

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"_You'll regret this. You. Your team. Your whole office. You'll see"_

He closed his eyes, "Shit."

* * *

Flack pushed a hand through his hair and turned around to face a concerned Sheldon.

"I know why this is happenin'." He shook his head in disbelief.

Sheldon looked deep in thought, "Romano…the case from the other day Romano?"

Flack nodded grimly. Danny gently removed Lindsay's legs form his lap and sat them onto the chair, shuffling towards his friends, "What are you ramblin' on about?"

"Johnny Romano…he's missing." Sheldon stuttered.

Danny looked at both men incredulously, "Wasn't he sent to prison 3 days ago?"

"He was kept in the precinct for a few days. Something about a problem with his lawyer…" Flack's hand raked through his hair again, "He didn't leave until early this morning." Adam glanced at the clock from his position furthest from the TV; quarter to five in the evening.

"He couldn't have been able to plant any bombs though. He was locked up the whole time he was there." Sheldon reasoned with Flack.

"They had help"

All four men turned around to look at Lindsay who had propped herself up in the plastic chair, "He couldn't have done it on his own, and his bodyguards or whatever were locked up too. They have someone on the inside; a cop or…really anyone with access to the lab." She straightened out in the chair, clearly having shocked the other team members, "We have to look into who was in that lab before the explosions…and anyone who had been in contact with Romano or his gang in the past three days. As of now, everyone is a suspect."

* * *

Later, in a warehouse situated next to the Hudson in the industrial area, the moonlight cast a subtle glow across the river giving it a gloomy appeal; appropriate for the meeting taking place.

"It's done."

"How did we do?" Johnny Romano was stood in between boxes containing imported goods. He was surrounded by heavier men in suits; guns concealed under their jackets.

One of the three men in front of the gang spoke up, "Four dead. None of our original targets but there are masses of people injured."

A larger man spoke from the corner of the warehouse, his voice becoming louder as he neared the group, "News confirmed Taylor and his partner Bonasera are in critical condition at Bellevue. They're the only two names worth mentioning apparently."

"You did good Officers," the man smirked, "I guess I can say that you've served you purpose." The man turned to make his exit, leaving behind the three young men who turned to each other looking suddenly confused.

The remaining gang members brought out their hidden weapons and carried out the vicious attack. They then stripped the bodies and disposed of the bloody clothes. The bodies were then thrown into the water along with their shoes, the rest of their clothes were burned. There was no evidence left to suggest such an attack had taken place.

* * *

The loud ticks of the clock were becoming more than annoying as the seconds turned into minutes; minutes into hours. It was now way past midnight without as much as a whisper about the condition of Mac or Stella. Sheldon and Adam had gone home a little while ago, knowing they were no good to anyone exhausted. Flack had stopped pacing and was currently staring at the blank wall. Lindsay hadn't been able to fall back asleep, so she settled for stroking Danny's hair while he slept in her lap.

Dr. Rainey had seen many distraught families in her 7 years of practice, however this 'family' was one of the most devoted she had ever seen. Having already being emotionally drained and exhausted, she found it remarkable that they would not leave until finding out anything about their friends. She felt proud to be the one to deliver such news; even if it was not what they wanted to hear.

Lindsay was the first to glance up at the thirty-something doctor. She had long brown hair tied back and piercing blue eyes. She offered Lindsay a warm smile. This was it. Lindsay shook Danny and nudged Flack to warn them that they were about to hear about their friends. Suddenly full of energy all three stood up for the news.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Rainey, are you waiting for news on Mr. Taylor?"

She offered out her hand, to which Flack shook vigorously, "Yes, I'm Don Flack. How is he? And Stella…is she okay?" He winced, remembering her thin pale form being loaded into the ambulance.

"I'm Mr. Taylor's doctor, Ms. Bonasera was taken into surgery by Dr. Price. I'm sorry but I don't have any updates on her. Mr. Taylor, however, suffered a large blow to the head resulting in a grade III concussion. This has caused retrograde amnesia." Lindsay gasped, "Which, however, is not permanent. It's only a slight lapse in memory. He will gain most of this back over time."

Flack looked at her confused, "Over time?"

She sensed his worry, "Over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. He will have only lost approximately 2 weeks. He also suffered serious burns to both his forearms and a minor burn to the side of his face. These were cleaned up and bandaged to save from infection." Seeing a wave of relief wash over the team, she felt her heart twinge at the information she was about to give.

"Mr. Taylor broke both of his legs due to the extreme pressure placed on them by the concrete. We've already preformed surgery. We placed a set of six pins into each leg to join the bone. I've given Mr. Taylor a strong sedative to help him rest. He will also be on an antibiotic line to keep his legs from any infection." She paused allowing the occupants of the waiting room time to digest all of this new information, "…Mr. Taylor will be in a wheelchair for up to four months. Does he have any immediate family he can stay with while his legs heal?"

Flack swallowed and spoke up, "No…his, his mother died…a few years back. I can…I have a spare room. I'll look after him…I'll arrange everything now…if that's, if it's okay?"

Dr. Rainey smiled at him, nodded and began down the long corridor. Flack paused and shouted at her retreating form, "Wait! Are you sure you…you don't know anything about Stella Bonasera?"

She stopped, "I'll try and find her doctor. She was still in surgery, after we finished operating on Mr. Taylor. We'll be moving him into his own room soon. I'll tell you which room he'll be in when he's comfortable." She continued down the hall until she disappeared round the corner.

Lindsay furiously wiped at her eyes to stop her tears from rolling any further down her face. She was relieved that Mac was safe; she was tormented by the fact that Stella might not be. Her knees finally gave in as she collapsed into the nearest seat. Danny sat beside her and helped wipe away her tears, fresh ones already stinging her eyes.

* * *

Flack laughed silently. Lindsay whipped her head around to glare at him, "What could possibly be funny?"

He turned around, "Do you remember when the lab was just newly furnished? All the glass and the yellow?"

Both Messer's nodded, curious at to where this was going.

"Well, the glass in the lab has just been fitted and was really, really clean. Anyways, Stella and I had just caught this one guy and we were about to go for lunch, but she needed her jacket and as we were walking through the lab she decided it would be fun to sneak up on Adam who was in the lab. She shaped her hands like a gun and ran around the corner, where she collided with one of the new glass windows…" He trailed off. Smiles graced all three team member's lips remembering the week Stella had taken off for 'personal reasons'.

Flack continued, "She broke her nose and was so embarrassed that she didn't go to hospital for two days. She didn't want anyone to see her, even if it was someone who was trying to help fix it. I swear I could've wet my pants that day."

Danny laughed, "Could've?"

Lindsay joined in relentlessly teasing Flack. The tension in the room was instantly lifted.

"Do you remember when Mac realised that he was in love with Stella?" Danny grinned, he remembered that day well. Flack was confused, "What happened?"

Lindsay carried on, "He didn't know how to act around her anymore and she knew something was off. Mac had already told Danny about his troubles with being around her. It was like a chain reaction, he told me and I told her." Danny snorted knowingly.

"She started to toy with him. She 'dropped' files near him in order to bend over in front of him. She stood extremely close to him as well. She knew exactly how to play him. But, she wasn't expecting him to lose it and crush her against the lockers when she attempted to change in front of him." Flack then remembered what she was talking about. He happened to be the one to walk in on them; both half dressed pressed against the lockers. The vision of Mac - shirt unbuttoned, pants unzipped - with Stella's lipstick smeared across his chest would be forever burned into his retina.

The laughter died down after a few more stories; Lindsay sighed, "She'll make it. She will. I know she will."

Danny looked at her and nodded.

* * *

It was two in the morning by the time Dr. Rainey came back with all the papers necessary for Mac's release.

Seeing all three team members asleep in various awkward positions she chuckled. She gently shook Flack awake. "Mr. Flack? I have some forms for you to fill in."

He opened his eyes slowly, focusing on the glare of the blinding lights, "Huh?"

"Mr. Flack, I have the forms I need you to fill in. And I have some news for you."

He became wide awake at the mention of any updates, "News? What is it? Good?"

"Mac has been placed in a twin room. Once Dr. Price has finished surgery, Stella will be moved from ICU into that same room. I suggested it would make things easier for you all." She gestured to the Messer's, who were currently sleeping together on one chair.

"He's awake and he's very eager to see someone he knows." She smiled as she watched his features light up.

* * *

Mac lay on the small bed with both of his legs casted and propped up against numerous pillows. The side of his face was bandaged up, which made it hard for him to see out of one of his eyes. His arms were also heavily wrapped up. He was hooked up to an IV; His nurse told him it was to save his legs from any infection. Whatever they gave him for his pain was working, really well. He seemed dazed.

Lindsay was the first one through the door. It nearly flew off its hinges.

"Maaaac! You're okay!"

She ignored the pain that seared through her shoulder when she threw her arms around Mac. Danny and Flack both pulled her from him and sat her down in one of the chairs opposite his bed. They exchanged hugs and handshakes.

Mac glanced at her, "Well, I wouldn't say okay, but I'm alive." He looked at the tired threesome, "What happened?"

All three younger members traded awkward glances and found the floor suddenly more interesting. Danny piped up, "We reckon it was Romano and his boys. There were bombs…everywhere."

Mac took in the lack of bruises or cuts on either man, "Why are you both…unscathed?"

"They were stuck in the elevator. Me and Stella were in her office…there was one under a desk…She's still in surgery…she has been for hours." Lindsay clasped Mac's hand.

Confusion graced his features, "But she was on her day off. She wasn't supposed to be in today…I left her in my apartment this morning…"

Flack sighed, they had been warned, "Mac, that was 3 weeks ago. You've hit your head pretty bad and your doctor said that you have retrograde amnesia."

Tears glistened in Mac's eyes, "Was she…really bad?"

Danny started, "We don't know…yet…" He couldn't finish.

A knock at the door startled all four occupants. They turned to face a man in a white overcoat and dark blue scrubs. He looked around fifty and had salt and pepper hair.

He strode over to Mac's bed, "I'm Dr. Price. I operated on Stella Bonasera."

Lindsay could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes, her grip on Mac's hand tightened. Danny put his arm around her shoulders in order to offer some sort of support, he could feel himself breaking down too. Flack looked expectantly at the older man.

"…I'm afraid it's bad news."

* * *

_Eeeeeeep! _:)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: _Unfortunately, I don't own CSI: New York or any of its characters :( _

Summary: _The team's lives are put in danger as a notorious gang leader takes his revenge. _

Author's Note: _I felt bad for leaving the last chapter, sorrrrry! If I fail physics though, I'm blaming this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! _:)

* * *

"…_I'm afraid it's bad news."_

A single tear escaped Mac's eye and rolled down his face.

"We operated on Miss. Bonasera's brain first. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, this can happen when the person comes into contact with a blunt object."

Lindsay swallowed when she remembered pulling the bookcase from Stella's frail figure.

"This has left Miss. Bonasera unconscious. We're not sure when she'll wake up." Dr. Price coughed briskly, taking in the broken group. "We then operated on her chest and torso where she has three broken ribs, torn cartilage and a great amount of internal bleeding. I was able to give her a blood transfusion after we removed the excess amounts." Danny tightened his grip on Lindsay's shoulders.

The doctor took a deep breath before continuing, "We had some complications at this point, she…she flat lined twice. Her heart was rejecting the new blood and stopped beating, but we restarted it and it's pumping the blood around her body now." Flack was sat with his eyes closed, head in his hands.

"I've inserted a tube into her throat to help her breathing. Miss. Bonasera also sustained a broken left arm. The brake wasn't too bad; it should heal up just nicely."

Mac winced before asking, "Will…will she be alright when she wakes up?" It hurt him deeply to think about Stella not waking up at all.

"She will have trouble with cognition, like thinking and reasoning at first. Also, the back of her brain was damaged as she hit her head, meaning she could have problems with her sight."

Flack's head shot up, "She's gonna be blind?" He couldn't control his emotions anymore.

"She's won't be blind, we repaired most of the damage. She may have problems seeing objects up close or far away. She may also see temporary black patches that could last up to a few hours. I won't be able to tell for sure until she wakes up. She needs to be kept from exposure to bright lights for a while…so she needs to wear a bandage across her eyes. She also suffered minor burns across her eyes and nose, so the bandage covers those too.""

Flack tired to regain his composure, he was breathing heavily.

Danny stroked the back of Lindsay head. Mac turned his head to look out of the window; he didn't want to hear anymore.

"Miss. Bonasera will be moved into this room when the tube in her throat is removed. There are no visitors permitted at the moment in the ICU. I'll return when she's being moved into this room."

With that Dr. Price slowly made for the door taking one last glance at the remaining four.

* * *

Adam scratched his head as he stared up at the tall building that used to house the crime lab.

"…So he's alright?...That's good…" Adam could hear Sheldon on his phone at the side of the street. "And what about her?...Yeah…uhuh, I thought so. Okay…yeah, we're just meeting the Jersey guys…Yep, I'll call you with updates. Okay, see you."

Adam looked at Sheldon expectantly, "How are they?"

Sheldon shook his head, "Mac's still awake, he seems fine. Stella…" he paused and sighed "…no change."

Adam nodded as he looked towards the corner of the building. He was greeted by the sight of a group of people carrying shiny metal cases, donning navy blue NJPD vests and jackets. There were three men and two women. The eldest man stretched out his hand as they neared, "Hi, I'm Nathan Flemming." He had perfectly combed brown hair and was the only member of the group wearing a suit, hidden underneath his jacket.

Sheldon reached for his hand, the sun glistening from his glasses. "Hello, I'm Sheldon Hawkes and this is Adam Ross." He looked at the rest of the New Jersey team. His eyes focused on a woman with long blonde hair as she stepped forward to introduce herself. "I'm Kate Lewis. And this is Craig Newman, Elizabeth Sanchez and Aaron Channing." The other three members of the group waved.

As the crowd of people moved towards the entrance of the building Adam noticed Nathan place his hand on Kate's lower back. _They must be the Mac and Stella of Jersey._

The Crime lab was almost non-existent. All of the glass panes had been shattered, the yellow walls tainted with lines of black ash. Debris littered the floors, along with the remaining parts of expensive machines.

Sheldon began speaking to Nathan about where the bombs had gone off. He then started to make a floor plan of the lab. The Jersey team then changed into their overalls and got to work.

* * *

"We need something to get their attention!" Johnny Romano slammed his hands on the table in front of him. It was littered with photographs of all of the team while they worked.

"We need something to get back at them with, let 'em know who they're dealing with." He pointed at a photo, "We need this one. Get him and bring him to me. Hank, you're on this one."

"Yes boss." A large man turned and left for the door. Romano had returned to his old hide out; a derelict building on the outskirts of the city.

Another man spoke up, "But boss, why do we need one of Taylor's guys?"

Johnny whipped around to face a heavily built man, "We need him to get to Mac Taylor. When we get to Mac Taylor, we've proved our point. You can't send us down to lock up. You can't force us or make us do anything!" His face rapidly became an angry red.

"Sorry boss, I just…I…" He trailed off when he saw Johnny stomp towards him.

Johnny smacked the man across the face, "You turning Judas on me?"

"No boss. It's a good plan."

"Good. Now go and see if you can find out anything else about our little detectives."

Johnny returned to the table with the photographs and picked up a headshot, "We'll be seeing each other soon, eh?" He laughed as he dropped the picture onto the floor; enticing blue eyes facing downwards.

* * *

"You ready yet?"

Danny and Lindsay had gone home to shower and change. They had planned to leave the hospital for a minimum of an hour. One hour quickly turned into three.

"I'm coming." She shrugged on her jacket as she walked towards him. He reached out to put his arms on her waist when the shrill ring of his phone interrupted them.

"Hello?" His eyes widened as he listened intently to the person on the other end of the call.

"They did?"

Lindsay focused on her husband he lowered his head.

"Alright…and they haven't been seen at all?...Okay."

Lindsay looked on confused, "Is everything alright? Is it Stella?"

"It was Hawkes. The uh…the Jersey team, they've interviewed everyone who was in the lab before the bombs went off, all but three officers. Christopher Moore, James Garcia and Thomas Clarke."

"…The officers who took Romano and his boys to lock up."

Danny nodded then continued, "And they haven't been seen since the morning of the bombings."

"Do Jersey think they planted them?"

Danny nodded again, "They found prints, well partials that matched on parts of the timers used."

The sound of Danny's phone once again filled the apartment, "It's Flack"

He lifted his cell to his ear..."_She's awake._"

* * *

Mac sighed as he stared over at a pale Stella. She had a white bandage around her eyes that pressed down on her limp curls. He knew she would be upset at the mess her hair would be in after it was taken off, he laughed inwardly at the thought of it. The tube in her throat had been removed and replaced by an oxygen mask. Her body was covered by various bandages and the thin bed sheet. He only remembered certain parts of Dr. Price's diagnosis, he tried to block out the worst parts; eyesight, ribs, bleeding.

Flack had gone outside to phone Danny and Lindsay after she had woken up. She had been awake for, well he didn't know how long, but she been awake long enough to panic and call for him. He was angry at himself for not being able to reach her from his bed. He couldn't make sense of what she had mumbled. By the time Flack came back into the room she had stopped thrashing and had fallen back into unconsciousness. The nurse had told them it must have been a bad dream for her to react so violently. Danny and Lindsay arrived 15 minutes later out of breath and fixing dishevelled clothing; it was clear they ran up the twenty flights of stairs leading to the room.

Flack warned them, "Shh! She's fallen asleep again. She was only having a bad dream before, she was startled. The nurse said it happens sometimes."

* * *

Lindsay was sat on the edge of Mac's bed equipped with a black marker. Flack and Danny had laughed when they saw what she had drawn on his cast.

Mac glanced down at his leg, _Mac & Stella Always. _

"How mature. Is this your way of asking for dumpster duty for the next couple weeks?"

Lindsay frowned then shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm just making sure everyone knows."

Flack had already scrawled his name and _get well_ underneath. Danny had decided to write something instead of his name.

"…Don loves Dr. Rainey? Did you really have to write that on Mac's cast?"

Danny grinned at him. Mac laughed along with Lindsay, he had already seen the way Don had looked at te doctor. He saw them talking while they thought he was resting.

"Now _everyone _can see it!" Lindsay chuckled while Flack blushed. He knew the emphasis on everyone meant Dr. Rainey herself.

They continued talking for over an hour. One of the nurses opened the door and stuck her head in, "Visiting hours finish at 9, but I'll give you all to half past to say good bye." She winked and then left.

Lindsay pulled a face, "The nurses around here have taken a liking to us, I think."

Mac then looked out of the glass where the nurses' station was situated, "No, I actually think it has something to do with her." He looked pointedly in Dr. Rainey's direction. Flack waved as she walked past the glass, she smiled then buried her head in the file she was holding.

"Well Donny boy…try denying it now." Flack busied himself with his cell to hide the red that had crept onto his cheeks.

The laughter in the room had soon died down when a pained groan was heard from the far end of the room.

Danny stood from his chair walking over to her, "Stella?"

"…Ooow." Her right hand slowly moved towards the bandage across her eyes. Danny softly took her wrist and placed it down on the sheet, "No, no, don't touch that yet."

She whimpered, her throat dry, "…Hu…hurts." They could hardly hear her for the oxygen mask.

Mac then turned to an alerted Lindsay, "Get the doctor. She's awake again!"

* * *

_You all probably hate me for making you wait that long_ :|_ Sorrrrrry! I hope the photograph bit made sense as to who was in the picture. _:)


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